hospital

In 1878 concerned citizens decided to address this problem, and formed a Hospital Fund Committee with elected Trustees. Permission was given in May 1879 for a temporary hospital to be situated in Ward 2 of the Immigration Barracks in Finemore Park, opposite today’s Base Hospital. At the same time, according to the Bundaberg Daily News, “3 acres, 3 roods has been permanently reserved for a hospital site.” Plans went ahead to build a permanent Hospital, and in 1880 the tender to build was awarded to Mr Midson, with construction completed in February 1881. Known as the Cottage Hospital, it was a four-room timber cottage, with a kitchen and separate Kanaka ward. In 1898, almost twenty years after the foundation of the first Hospital, the question of a hospital to meet the a growing population was raised by the Hospital Committee. At the time, most surgical cases of any complexity were sent to Brisbane, and the Committee felt it was time to “raise the status of the institution so that a wide range of surgical cases could be undertaken.” This also meant a staff of trained nurses would need to be engaged, and Mr. J.C.Walker, then-Secretary of the Committee proposed that the hospital should be a training school for nurses as well. While an operating the theatre was erected in the existing building, the cost of rebuilding older parts of the Hospital lead to the idea of commissioning plans for a larger Hospital built in brick. Source: www.artsbundaberg.com.au/downloads/file/30/base-hospital-...

My dearest wife worked in the "children's ward" at the "Royal" 1974-5.

Cyclone Leonta hit Townsville on 9 March 1903. Very destructive winds caused significant damage to a number of buildings. The grammar school was largely destroyed and one of the General Hospital's main wards collapsed. The cyclone caused 14 deaths. Nine people died in the hospital. Two people were found dead in destroyed houses, and another at Stanton Hill. There were two deaths in Charters Towers when Leonta moved further inland. The damage in 1903 was estimated at approximately £250,000. Tropical cyclone Leonta during March 1903 recurved over Townsville where the barometer dropped to 965 hectopascals. The winds reached hurricane force (average speed 64 knots or more) when the winds were mostly from the south-west of south-south-west. The most damage came from the severe wind gusts with flying roofing iron, buildings blown over and verandas wrenched away. It was almost midday on Monday, when the wind attained hurricane force, and it caused tremendous destruction and serious loss of life. The storm centre must have passed very close to North Ward, for it was this section of the city which suffered most. The greatest disaster of all was the collapse of one of the main wards of the General Hospital. Source: knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/cyclone-cyclone-leonta-qu...